hipster style meets food with flair - ACME nails it

Sweet crab meat punctured with bursts of fresh corn and alfabeto pasta in a buttery, ramen-style soup. This may be the best soup I have every slurped.  It's a stand-out dish on a night of many stand-out dishes in Acme's highly successful Italian-Asian play.

This is a kitchen having a whole lot of fun. The team of four work calmly in the open plan kitchen, smiling at each other as they lean across and share the prep.  It's reflected in the menu with its simple descriptions.

Jatz and salmon - tangy with citrus

Sweet, warm brioche with baloney and a tomato-based sauce provided a comforting reminder of school lunches (but a step up on devon and tomato sauce!)

Beetroot, with ground coffee and macadamia nut butter - earthy accents

asparagus with green tea butter - surprisingly successful

beef tartare, kohlrabi, avocado

Two more sensational dishes. pungently rich black garlic and burnt chilli linguine and chinese-style chilli cucumber

Burrata, apple and bottarga

maltagliati, rabbit, pistachio

quite the twist on carbonara - pig head, yolk, macaroni.  unctuously good

braised octopus is deep fried just before serving - crunchy on the outside and oh so tender - served with fennel and wakame

Interesting food cooked very well, with great floor staff and a very reasonable wine list. Almost every dish caused us to pause and praise. It's lovely to see great ingredients cooked with such skill and style; this isn't a restaurant that takes itself too seriously though!

Definitely worth a visit to Rushcutters' Bay. We ate and drank our fill (and that's saying something) for $130 a head.

http://weareacme.com.au

The perfect Tuesday night dinner - Baccomatto Osteria

The clever conversion of a large, harsh concrete rectangular room into the bustling ambience of Baccomatto Osteria (http://www.baccomattoosteria.com.au ) is a nourishing success. The room is full of diners of all ages.  By the door, a family with three kids under the age of five are happily swapping plates and food.  To the right, a table of twenty celebrating with towers of food.  Around the central bar, solitary eaters slowly become part of the community, drawn in by the warmth of the staff and the wafts from neighbouring plates of food.

There's a fine selection of Antipasto - the eggplants, roasted and served with chilli, are very good along the the fennel and the spicy salumi.

Entrees continue the joy. Superbly balanced chicken liver pate with almonds. Beef carpaccio with truffles.  The unctuous joy of baked Provolone with Oregano and Thyme. 

Most nights there's a house special - tonight it's Braise and Barbera with the wagyu beef cheeks on parsnip puree and mustard leaves just right on a bitterly cold Sydney night.  

My Spaghetti Ghitarra alla Carbonara is perfectly al dente and the addition of shaved truffles builds on the softness of the Carbonara.  Devine.

The waitstaff are warm and welcoming and very very good at what they do.  It is cosy without being cloying and friendly without being fake.  Plus the wine list has some gems!
Definitely an inner city winner!

Modern Korean at Moon Park

On the edge of South Sydney oval on the first floor of a corner terrace rises Moon Park (http://www.moon-park.com.au). Its sleek, monochromatic website reflects its modern take on Korean. The menu is rich in twists on the traditional. 

Cucumber kim chi is snappily fresh. 

Smoked eel and puffed rice on a nasturtium leaf elevates ssambap with the peppery leaf offsetting the unctuous flesh.

 The dukbokki rolled in crushed peanuts are crunchy on the outside and soft rice on the inside, lifted by a spicy sauce.

The bulgogi quail underwhelmed. The star of this dish is the fabulous sauce and while the quail is cooked extremely well, there simply isn't enough flesh to carry the finger-licking good sauce. 

Pork floss crumble a top a potato cake adds carbs with style while tender calamari strips, potato, chilli oil & pickled onion are a delight.

Charred zucchini and eggplant with a smoked yolk and the green beans with black bean paste were equally as successful.

The BBQ Ranger's flank was my least favourite although one of the stand out tastes of evening was the accompanying bbq'd pear with its sweet and charcoal accents.

Korean desserts were an eye-opener. The clean palate comfort of milk jelly. Sharp granita. Sweet paste.  All devoured to a beautiful sunset.  

Pros - Korean food like never before
Cons - the serves are small but it's a journey worth taking





    

If music be the food of love... Kingsley's Homage to Hermitage

If music be the food of love, then wine represents the lyrics to which the symphony of gourmet delights dances to.  Kingsley's at Woolloomooloo's beautiful wharf is the perfect venue for a tribute to the bloke-dominated Beefsteak Clubs of the 18th and 19th Centuries with its inspired Homage to Hermitage in partnership with one of my favourite Australian wine companies, Taltarni.

While i knew i was certainly in for a treat with the Delmonico Dry Aged Strip on the Bone being served up for main partnered by a 1993 Taltarni Shiraz and a 2003 Guigal Cote-Rotie, it was the accompanying courses that caught my eye.  The attention to detail in the hand-crafted menu was a nice touch and an indication of the care that had been invested in our evening under the experienced eye of Exec Chef Lars Svensson.

 

First up, a succulent, confident porter glazed sweetbread served on a smokey jerusalem artichoke.   rich, but not heavy, finishing with the palate pleasing depth of the puree.  I'd decided to limit my white given the impressive list of very special reds ahead but i do always enjoy just the one glass of Clover Hill Sparkling....

 

The bridging wine picks up on the smokiness of the amuse - a 2010 Taltarni Three Monks Fume Blanc.  I love it with the creaminess of the "scampi fritter" - which to my delight wasn't a fritter at all, but a juicy morsel of succulent seafood.  To my palate, it was a little strong for the delicate scallop ceviche accented with line, chilli and coriander.  I would travel over hill and dale, and climb Mt Everest and Kilimanjaro for this ceviche. It is seafood perfection,

The spoiling continues with the main - most definitely an homage to the Beefsteak Clubs of old.  It's big, juicy, flavorsome meat, accentuated by the earthy tones of the glorious 1993 Taltarni Shiraz and the quieter 03 Guigal.  Sides of kipfler, asparagus, and heirloom tomato also work their magic.  And yes, those onion rings are panko-ed.  DEVINE

Now, i'm not normally a dessert girl but the simple elegance of the rosemary pannacotta with a balsamic jelly spikes my curiosity and i may just have to name this as the stand out dish of the evening, particularly paired with a 77 and an 83 Taltarni Shiraz. The combination is surprizing, magical, and renders us speechless.  the pairing with the shiraz is perfection.

Kingsleys Woolloomooloo (http://www.kingsleys.com.au/sydney.html) is the perfect venue to enjoy the beauty of Sydney's harbour, with food and wine to match.  The combination of venue, elegant dining, and wines to spoil as well as some fantastic conversation (and a special thank you to Rob and Bruce for making sure i felt included), plus the informative guidance of our host made this an evening to remember.  May the lyrics and the symphony of Kingsleys continue to play on with success.

Chophouse - not just a Carnivore's Delight!

Remind you of anything? Stepping into Chophouse is like stepping inside a giant beast.

 

Since my time in Argentina, my passion for great steak has grown.  Life's too short for bad steak, and definitely way too short for bad steak cooked badly.  Luckily, there are a number of kitchens cooking great steak extremely well - Rockpool Bar & Grill is the benchmark most referenced.  Today, i discovered Chophouse and it was like being back in Buenos Aires where the steaks are unashamedly meaty, and the servings unapologetically generous.

This is a kitchen which has not only embraced the NY chophouse style but which also offers bar food (pork scratching $8, tallegio risotto balls); asian influenced fish (coconut king prawns with green papaya); chopped salads (the crisp pork belly and sea scallop chopped salad with cabbage, pea shoots is apparently heaven and just $22).


But today is a celebration of meat - courtesy of my having won an invite to a Meat Handling Workshop with Head Chef Eric Tan and the master of the ($65k kitchen-gadget-to-die-for) broiler (aka George as in "Forman";) ) Stu. But more about the magic of broiling later!  


So, after a much needed coffee, we head upstairs to the spacious private dining room.  It's sensual, dark, hide-clad walls - the perfect place to linger, lounge, devour and digest.

Our meat journey begins - from the 1.6 kg Tomahawk (full rib on the bone sourced from the Riverine District) through to dry aged Delmonico (striploin on the bone)m and the amazing Castricum Brothers Double Lamb chops (free range and tender stretched from Dandenong)....  

And so, having caressed the meat, we move into the kitchen.

This is Eric (right) with George aka the Broiler (left) - this is the secret to the lusciousness of Chophouse's meat.  By broiling the meat, the magic is contained within the meat, and the texture transformed.  This is hot, hot, hot, and proof of the meat mastery at work.  And the proof is most certainly in the eating.  We did a comparative tasting - cooking the same piece of meat in george, on the grill, in the pan, and the standout winner by a country mile and then some was most definitely the meat which had been broiled.

Succulent, tasty, savoury, specialness.

But that's not all! We were also lucky enough to be indulged with the wonderfully porky pork from Tasmania's Esk Pastoral Farm - these lucky porkers live next door to a cheese factory so are fed on the left over whey.  That creates an extra creamy porkiness which is beautifully offset by the hazelnut and sage crumb and granny smith apple sauce.

 
There are some fine looking sides which i also can't wait to taste - cauliflower gratin, baby spinach with labna and lemon confit vinaigrette.  The spring menu is to be launched in a couple of weeks, and, given the commitment of Chef Eric and his team to sustainability, there are sure to be changes. But what a wonderful challenge to have - and the wine list looks bloody good too!


And, on a final note, the central light display pays tribute to making the most of each beast from nose to tail.

Eric and team have regular seasonal degustations and it's worth becoming a member of their database to access the insider knowledge, menu updates and the rest.  visit chophouse.com.au and embrace your inner meateater (or poultry eater, or fish eater, or vegetable eater - no really, despite the meat focus, Eric is determined to play with the best of non-meat world too)

I'm on the top of the world.....

In the 15 years I've lived in Sydney, not once has the thought of venturing up into Sydney Tower crossed my mind.  Not as a tourist thing to do, not as an off-the-wall kind of thing, and definitely not as a dining destination.  So I've got to confess that discovering there's an oasis of calm above the newly renovated Westfield Shopping Centre and that it has a very interesting menu was a complete surprize.

It's been bucketing in Sydney for days so stepping out of the lift into the 360 Bar and Dining restaurant space (http://www.trippaswhitegroup.com.au/our-venues/360-Bar-and-Dining/menu/1) to see sunbeams reaching out for magnificent Sydney was truly breathtaking (that, and the fact I'm not brilliant at heights)

A glass (or two) of Albarino settles my nerves and my focus turns to the menu.  Chef John Tefegdzic  recommends the pork for main (i'd fessed up about my pork addiction) so something light is required for entree....  but first an amuse bouche (to go with the wine of course!)


a dainty morsel of foie gras mousse on a salad of baby leaves and leeks.  

What to choose, what to choose??
perhaps the scallops on truffled potatoes and creamed cauliflower?

No, i think the tuna tataki has my name on it. 

The yellow fin is moist, asparagus crunchy just the way i like it, and the lime dressing and coriander build the flavours.  The courgette are a little left field for me, but there's nothing left on the plate so proof as they say is in the pudding.

The mains are HUGE and perfectly formed.  There's been a glut of pork belly on the market and so many places just slab it up, but this piece of pork belly has beautifully crisp crackling, and the belly meat is tender, with the fat cooked out, and it's seasoned.  It's served with herbed pork tenderloin (i almost managed to eat one which is such a waste as the flavour is just right, not too strong, a hint of thyme, maybe some marjoram?), on a bed of pea and ham puree (DEVINE) with a "prune canoli" which is a dainty fingerling to play with.  It's actually a dainty dish in taste, despite its size. 

Our table also enjoys chicken with quinoa

And a beautiful slab of melt in your mouth Black Angus with straw mushroom (i do love Vic's Meats)

And some of the best chips I think I've ever eaten - apparently beer battered but much much lighter than any beer battered chip i've had! 

There's a lunch special which looks very reasonable and the big winner - you can actually just come up for a drink at the bar and partake in fine looking list of cocktails while supping on the magnificent views of one of Australia's most beautiful cities.  PS probably best to avoid the weekend unless you've made a reservation!

Looking forward to enjoying a sunset sip in the not too distant future! Cheers!

ramen in the morning.....

the rain continues in sydney and there's just one cure - ramen and a visit to treasure trove Kinokuniya bookstore in The Galeries for a well deserved browse (and the ongoing hunt for a replacement vol 1 for my Dance to the Music of Time set).

Every time i visit Kinokuniya, I drag myself past the long long queue waiting for a table at japanese noodle shop, Ichi-ban Boshi but, as a chronic queue hater, just cant bring myself to wait.

Today we are lucky.

My Tantanmen with its spicy pork mince, toasted sesame seeds, just cooked egg, and spongy ramen is perfect.  The stock is almost satay like, thanks to the background of sesame and chili. 

 

The Tokyo Ramen is equally as impressive in size, flavour, and balance.

And, post ramen, guess what! the sun comes out. Time for ramen in the evening too?

Foveaux Magic

We're so spoilt for choice in Sydney.  We were lucky enough to have the wonderfully talented Darrell Felstead who was at The Three Weeds produce an incredible stand up degustation for our wedding so for our wedding anniversary we headed over to Foveaux which is where he's been working his magic for the past 3 (is it really 3??) years.

This is one of those hidden Sydney secrets.  Great bar too - now called The Red Door with great cocktails and a restaurant that should feature on any "Must Eat" list for Sydneysiders and visitors.  His food is different, always different, with core ingredients and accents which you wouldn't normally expect - and that's the fun! From venison tongue to black pudding puree (and he does an incredible range of vegetarian dishes too!) this is food that makes your palate sing.  Suspend your food prejudices, hand yourself over to a gourmet journey at an incredible 6 course with amuse and pre-dessert for $80, and trust the wonderful Paola to keep your wine glass full with the right wine, and I promise, you'll have a great time.  Ps helps if you go with someone who is happy to share so you get double the taste sensation!

love a tasting menu that gives you a choice!

amuse bouche - a wonderfully balanced curried lentil yoghurt soup.  light, playful, and perfect

Cold smoked albacore tuna, whipped ponzu, tomato salsa, avocado and sesame - the ponzu whip is incredible, lifting the incredible flavours of the tuna

a starburst of flavour - amazing tomato and olive oil sorbet, with just there olive jelly and then the sharpness of the fetta and the trail of capsicum paint which is hidden underneath.  Unfortunately I forgot my camera so had to resort to my phone but this is such a pretty pretty dish with the scarlet tomato, orange of the paint, greenish accents of the jelly, and the happy nasturtium flowers.

a rich rich duck terrine (with confit liver) with peking duck jelly, abalone, shitake which has been pickled and an amazing squid ink rice cracker.....

or .....and no judging till you've tried it cause it's truly amazing.... tender venison tongue with these amazing caramelised carrot straw, on a sea urchin custard, with scampi tail....oh, and there's dandelion and rhubarb powder working their magic too!

I truly love the way Darrell cooks fish and tonight he continued to amaze.  cupped inside the basket is a light bouillabaisse foam, with roast mulloway, black olive paste, tomato and white polenta....

and Paul's: just cooked delicate leather jacket, snuggled in a lettuce, pea and green olive puree (please can i have the recipe!) with braised rabbit....  amazing

I'm fading slowly but the wakame roasted veal, and sprightly asparagus sprigs keep me tasting - and i do love purslane!







macadamia praline dust on top of a soothing milk sorbet with hints of pineapple...  devine



refreshing peppermint tea jelly with strawberry sorbet and parfait and pistachio wafers.  for a non-dessert eater, I did well



one banana, two bananas, three bananas, four! parfait, chocolate, goodness